


Siren's Song

by LadyMuzzMuzz



Series: Deep Blue Sea [3]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Mer!AU, Romance, Sequel to Deep Blue Sea, Slight spoilers the Original Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27008842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMuzzMuzz/pseuds/LadyMuzzMuzz
Summary: The rules for merfolk were simple:1. Never let yourself be seen by a human2. Never accept a gift from them.And most importantly:3. Never promise a human anything.But what are rules meant for, if not to be broken?
Relationships: Kyrie/Nero (Devil May Cry)
Series: Deep Blue Sea [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737409
Comments: 15
Kudos: 70





	Siren's Song

If his father found out where Nero had gone, all alone, he’d drag the finling’s tail back and lock him somewhere in the depths of the ocean. His dad, (and mom, to a lesser extent) tried their best to keep him from the danger of humans, but by the Dawnfather, he was almost thirteen migrations old, and finlings his age were allowed to go where they wanted, within reason.  _ Besides _ , he thought as he flexed his fist, his soul weapon had fully materialized, he could defend himself from practically anything. Only two weeks ago, his entire right arm had changed into a beautiful scaly claw that glimmered silvery blue and red. His parents seemed relieved more that his newly developed weapon was permanently bonded with him, than the fact that he’d gotten one earlier than usual. It meant he didn’t ever have to worry about ever getting separated from it, a fate worse than death. 

Even then, The only two reasons he had managed to get closer to the shoreline was that he was  _ supposed  _ to be with his uncle, who was  _ supposed  _ to be teaching him how to hunt with his new arm, but with the promise of picking up a human trinket for him, Dante had left him to his own devices, while his uncle went on a hunt for something called ‘pizza’. His uncle was weird.

Another reason Nero had gotten so close to the shoreline, was because his dad seemed to think this area, despite the human settlements, was safer than most areas. This island, this  _ Fortuna…. _ It didn’t have the large fishing tankers other places did, only the easily dodgible small fishing boats. And unlike other sandy banks where the dry land met their home, there were few humans wearing those tiny strips of cloths that provided little protection. When they rarely showed up, they were covered head to their stubbly legs in clothing. And they almost never went into the water. 

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. The legends spoke of how dangerous humans could be, especially when you encountered them on their own domain. The rules were simple:

  1. Never let yourself be seen by them.
  2. Never accept a gift from them.



And most importantly:

**3\. Never promise a human anything.**

Humans were a strange people, with inexplicable powers that were said to compel or even worse, bind Merfolk to them. How many tales had his father sang to him about foolish mermen and maids suffering captivity and death because they didn’t understand the danger they were courting by encountering humans?

_ Well _ , Nero thought, as he slowly got closer to the shoreline,  _ the tide went out for them, but I’m different. _ Besides, he had his new weapon, he’d be perfectly fine. Already he had perfected his hunting using a manifestation of his claws to shoot out and either spear, or grab a fish, before yanking it back to be devoured. A group of Cordina swam a tail’s length away from him, and he effortlessly yanked one of them, and with pride, he began to take a bite of its belly. He wasn’t old enough to swallow them whole, but probably by his next migration, he should be…

Mid bite he heard it. A beautiful sound that reminded him of the haunting choral singing of the whales of the North. Except this was higher pitched, came from only one throat instead of many, and strangely enough… it sounded like it came from above the surface? 

Resisting the urge to give in to curiosity and break the surface, he compromised by slowly following the entrancing song from beneath the waves. It couldn’t be far, sounds in the air didn’t carry as far as they did in water, and sure enough, within a few strokes of his fins, he found the source, a lone wooden dock jutting out over the water. 

Or rather, WHO was on it.

Nero had been told by his father that singing was something only Merfolk and the warm blooded fish of the sea could do. If humans could sing, he explained, they would have to stand right next to each other in order to hear, and their songs couldn’t possibly convey the depths that his people’s songs could.

And yet, this human… this…  _ girl… _ (She seemed about his age, and his mom had explained that human children had different names for gender) sang so sweetly, it almost felt like she was luring him in with magic. 

But it couldn’t be magic, since he still had the wits to remain hidden, to check for danger, before settling underneath the creaking wood of the dock. Even so, her voice was so beautiful, he risked silently breaching the surface to hear her more clearly.

He didn’t know why she was singing. She was apparently alone, so she wasn’t telling a tale, and she was far too young to be singing for a mate. Tidemother have mercy, he couldn’t even understand the words. Something about ‘darkness’ ‘wind’ and… a ‘garden’? That was a strange word. Maybe his uncle or mother would know.

But in the end, it didn’t matter as he listened, his claws embedded into the slippery post to stabilize him. Whatever she was singing, it was beautiful.

And, as he risked a peek through the planks, she was as beautiful as the song she sang. Her clothing was whiter than seafoam, brighter than the icebergs that floated from the south, with lines of what seemed to be glittering sunlight etched into it. But that wasn’t the most stunning thing. Her hair was a vibrant shade between coral red and earth brown, a colour he’d never seen in all of his travels. And her eyes! For a moment, he thought they were seaweed green, but then they flashed into dark sand brown, so rapidly, he wasn’t even sure they were different colours, or just a melding of them. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. His father had told him most humans were brutes with harsh voices, but he hadn’t said  _ all _ of them were. Maybe his dad was wrong, that humans weren’t the monsters the tales said they were. Or maybe, this one human was an exception, a pearl in an oyster. 

She slowly stopped her singing and with a beautiful smile, she pushed her hair back to form it into a tail of some sort, revealing her creamy skin with reddish speckles (did humans have scales? He’d have to ask his mom about that, she was really knowledgeable about that stuff) and sighed happily while basking in the son.

“Oh!” She yelled out, and Nero froze. Had she seen him, or somehow sensed him? He clung to the post, quickly calculating paths of escape. 

Instead, he heard a tinkle, a  _ Thud! _ and a  _ Plop!,  _ as something hit the dock, before slipping through the crack between planks and fell into the water, to sink straight to the bottom. He could only get a small glimpse as it plummeted down, but it sparkled, like a falling star.

“Nononono!” the girl yelped, and above him, he heard her scrambling, and her head popped down over the side, obviously trying to locate that glittering trinket. 

Nero was totally not terrified. Not at all. Sure, this was the closest he’d ever been to a human, and he stilled his breath, she was so close she could probably hear his heart pounding. All she had to do is look in his general direction, and he’d be spotted. It was only her intense gaze to the sea bed below that saved him. He couldn’t even flee, because any movement he made would undoubtedly attract her attention. So, he clung to the post, silently praying for both the Dawnfather and Tidemother to protect him.

The only upside to his situation was that he had an even closer look at the girl. She was so pretty, and hadn’t been for the fact she had legs, she could have been indistinguishable from one of his people. But even so, there was an expression on her face that hurt him deeply, a deep sorrow. Whatever had fallen into the water, it had been very precious to her.

“KYRIE!” A voice called out from the shore, and the girl's attention swung over to the source, allowing Nero a moment of reprieve, “I told you not to get your dress dirty! The ceremony is happening very soon!”

Rapid footsteps clattered as an older woman, who bore a resemblance to the girl strode up. “I’ve been looking all over for you, have you been here all this time?”

“I-I-wanted to practice my singing here, mama.”   
“You know you don’t always have to come here alone dear, everyone loves your singing!”   
“Yeah,” she didn’t sound convinced. Did she think her singing was bad? Nero scoffed at the idea.

“Well, it’s time for your performance,” the older woman wiped off traces of dirt off her daughter’s dress, before gasping, “Where’s your new necklace!?”

“It… fell off my neck,” the girl admitted, hanging her head, “the clasp unlocked and it fell…” she glanced down to the water below.

“Oh Kyrie....” the woman was disappointed, yet not angry. “Your papa and I just got that for you...you need to be more careful with your possessions.” She glanced over the edge of the dock, and Nero had yet another flash of panic. Thankfully, she didn’t spend much time scanning the water. “Ah well, there’s no time to retrieve it. Your father and Credo will have to look for it tomorrow morning, it shouldn’t go far. Now,” she patted her daughter’s head, “let’s be on our way, your singing will delight everyone!”

Nero didn’t move for what seemed like an eternity, even when the two humans were gone, in the small chance that this was a feint, a trap. Because that glittering fallen star, that...necklace that glittered in the sand, like an anglerfish’s lure. But, there were no signs of any other humans laying in wait for him, so cautiously, he made his way towards the sparkly item.   
Despite it shining like the Dawnfather, it wasn’t hot, in fact it was cool to the touch. But it glimmered and sparkled like his father’s amulet, it even had a little red gem in the middle. But the lady was wrong, the way the water moved around here, it would be washed away by tomorrow, or buried by the shifting sands. Nero had a conundrum: He could either let it get washed away, lost to the sands of time....

Or he could grab it. But it belonged to the girl, and the rules about accepting gifts from humans...what if it put a terrible curse on him?

_ But _ , he reasoned,  _ it’s not really a gift. _ He was merely retrieving it, and he’d give it right back to her… maybe he’d put it on the dock. 

His fingers caressed the shiny metal, as reflective as his father’s blade.  _ No, _ he couldn’t just leave it here, some bird, or some other human would pick it up for themselves. Nero couldn’t have that. He’d just have to hold onto it until he saw her again at the docks. She apparently hung out here to sing. Yeah, he’d find her, figure out a way to leave it nearby, and hope she noticed it without noticing him. Simple plan, really.

The necklace glistened once more in the sunlight, before suddenly with a golden flash, disappeared into his scaly claws. So his soul weapon could do that too... interesting. At least his uncle (and dad) wouldn’t be on his tailfins about the trinket he had. It would be hard to explain how he had gotten a hold of something like this.

“Heya guppy!” his uncle met him a good distance from the shore, ruffling his hair, “you got anything cool?” 

Nero pretended to be annoyed, “Nah, sorry. But,” he scratched the bridge of his nose, “can we come back tomorrow? I think I heard some of the humans talking about a ‘pizza party’ on the beach tomorrow? Maybe we could…”

His uncle’s grin widened, “Oh yeah! We can do that! I knew you’d pull through!”

Nero almost felt bad for lying...almost. But his dad would never let him get so close to the shore unaccompanied, and his uncle was the only one who trusted him to go by himself. He'd just give it to her tomorrow. Besides, how hard could it be?

* * *

It was much harder than Nero had thought. Finding Kyrie was incredibly simple, she had a very set schedule, spending hours in the morning just singing, or ‘practicing her scales’ as she put it, her voice ascending and descending like the waves. And he’d hide under the dock to listen, entranced by everything. He almost was tempted to sing along to the songs she sang, if it wasn’t for the fact he’d be caught for sure. Sometimes, her parents would come to call her home, or her older brother, but usually it was just her...and him.

But every time he felt he should give back the necklace, he felt… he couldn’t. And it wasn’t magic, he was certain of it by now. Honestly, the more he observed her, and the others, the more he was certain that humans couldn’t EVEN do magic. They were just a slower, weaker, more clumsy version of merfolk, who couldn’t even breathe underwater.

But Kyrie… there was something about her. Nero wanted to be near her at all times, and holding onto that necklace seemed to be the only way he could do that. So, every time when she was called home, he’d promise himself that tomorrow would be the day he’d give it back. 

Unfortunately, that day never came. “Wait, what do you mean we have to go?” Nero tried to stop his father from swimming off. He still had plans for the day.

“It’s time, the shoal is on the move to the north,” his father gruffly said, “we’ve wasted enough time on whatever you and your uncle have been up to, if we wait any longer, we’ll spend far too much time chasing instead of hunting. Tell your mother we must be on our way.”

“But…” Nero still hadn’t given back the necklace. And now, he might never get another chance to.

His father’s furrowed brow softened as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “Nero,” he spoke softly with misplaced understanding, “I know you’ve enjoyed your new found freedom in this area, it’s why I have put off the migration for as long as possible, I wanted to see my son happy and free in a safe area. But,” the sternness returned, “the Ways must be followed, we must move on. You understand that, right?”

He was right of course, already the Cordina shoals were slim, and Nero was lucky if he found one on his own per day, and he didn’t relish the thought of eating kelp as a replacement. (A trait apparently passed down from his father, who detested the stuff) But still…

“Do not worry” his father patted his head softly, “We will return. We always do.” 

It was an attempt to reassure him, in his father’s awkward way, but still...Nero hoped that she would keep to her pattern as he did his. He’d have to get it to her next time on their migration. It would be easy.

* * *

It wasn’t easy. Eager as he was to see her again the next time they followed the shoal to the balmy shallows of Fortuna, he still couldn’t give up the necklace. She still stood at the end of the dock at the same time each day, singing not only the same songs as before, but more complex ones as well. She’d gotten taller, and dare he say it, even more beautiful. But still, even with multiple opportunities, he couldn’t part with it. It was like keeping a piece of her with him, and when he took it out of his clawed arm, just the caressing of it calmed him down when he failed miserably at hunting, or when he had an argument with his parents about how independent he was allowed to be. And so, by the time they had to move on, he still carried it. There was always the next migration....

He told himself that after the first one, then the second, then the third…

They were approaching Fortuna for the fourth time since he had first met (no...that was the wrong word, but how else could he describe it without sounding like he was hunting her?) and after a particularly aggravating hunt where his uncle constantly ribbed him about  _ ‘If you’re that bad at hunting, maybe you should stick to kelp, guppy’ _ , Nero had found a secluded shelter to calm down. He was a krill’s whisker away from punching that smirk off his uncle’s face, and the last thing he wanted to happen is to give his father a reason to restrict his movements, especially as they approached the island. He rolled his shoulder, and out came the necklace, pristine as the day it fell into the water. He smiled gently as his fingers traced the shape, like bird wings, that enclosed the brilliant gem. If he closed his eyes, he could swear he heard her voice.  _ Perhaps she has another new song? _

_ “Ah, there you are!” _ His mother’s voice snuck up on him, giving him no time to hide the necklace without looking suspicious.  _ “When Dante said you stormed out of the hunting party at the speed of a sailfish, I was a little worried you’d get yourself in trouble.” _ She drifted down towards him, a makeshift satchel made of salvaged cloth from the surface world at her side. No doubt it was full of shellfish, her favourite food. She wasn’t as quick at hunting as his father, his uncle, or to be honest, any of the other merfolk, and Nero always worried that she had been injured early on in her life, something that put her at a disadvantage. But she was always cheerful, and found other ways to contribute to the hunt.

_ “It’s just…” _

_ “Dante...I know… trust me... sometimes I wish a jellyfish would sting him on the tongue, just to shut him up for a while. But,” _ she sat down beside him, and began prying open one of the clams with her soul weapon, a small pearlescent knife, and offered him the contents. “ _ He thinks he means well, he just doesn’t realize he’s swimming against the current.” _

He gratefully took it and slurped down the contents. His mom was always able to mediate between the three mermen, she’d find a way to make his uncle apologize, and things would be back to normal...for a while at least.

_ “Oh… that’s beautiful Nero! Where did you find that?”  _ Too late he realized that by grabbing the shell, he’d inadvertently revealed his prized possession.

**_Parrotfish Sand!_** He thought, **_Welp, time to fib a little._**

He put on a convincing smile.  _ “Oh this? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I found it while investigating an old shipwreck a while back!”  _ Yeah, that was believable. His dad was more permissive about him going down into the depths than into the shallows.

Unfortunately, the doubtful look on his mother’s face shattered the illusion, _ “Oh really? If it came from an old shipwreck it would have had more corrosion on the brass clasp, to the point where only the pendant should still have a possibility of retaining its shine. That is, if the jewelry had a high enough percentage of gold. If not, it would have been just as corrode _ d.”

Nero was stunned. How had she known he was lying?

_ “Corrosion?” _

_ “It’s where the water and the salt…” _ she paused as if she was trying to find the right words,  _ “well, simply put, they change the metal into something different, and often weaker. Human metal of course, not the metal of our soul-weapons. It’s why some shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea are all brown,and fall apart just by brushing up against it. Some metals, like gold, are resistant, some not at all.” _

_ “How..how do you know that? About human stuff?”  _

She smiled softly at him,  _ “Nero...I suppose it’s time I told you that once…” _ she looked up at the dappled surface, the flickering sunbeams shining down on them, _ “Once, I was one of them.” _

Nero choked on the last of the clam he was slurping up. Maybe he hadn’t heard his mom right. There’s no way that his dad of all merfolk would have fallen for...a human? Maybe his dad didn’t know…?

_ “I’d hoped that your father would have explained our ‘unique’ family situation earlier on...but…”  _ she sighed…  _ “well, if he won’t take the first step-I mean, first stroke. I guess I should. Yes, I used to be human, and yes both your father and uncle knew about me.” _

_ “But-” _ Nero was at a loss for words. True, his mom always seemed a bit ‘different’ than the other merfolk, but he’d never really minded. She was a wonderful mother, why should he care?  _ “How?” _

_ “Magic I suppose, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around, and I’ve had over a decade and a half to try to make sense of it.” _

It still didn’t make sense to Nero. Of all the mermen to settle down with a ...human? _ “Dad hates humans!” _ he blurted out without thinking, _ “He always reminds me how dangerous they can be, that I should never talk to one, or be seen by one.” _ Instantly, he felt the urge to slap himself for such an insensitive statement.

His mother looked sad, but not because of what he had said,  _ “I… understand where your father’s coming from, he’s had...an unpleasant history with humankind, it’s tainted his views. One day he may tell you about it, when he’s ready But,” _ she stroked his cheek, _ “even he understands humans aren’t all bad, there are some that are ignorant about what happens past their shorelines, and others that are willing to take a chance to dive beneath the waves, so to speak. I was one of the latter, and it still took me the better part of a migration to gain his trust and love. I suppose he tries to tell you those stories to keep the risk of you getting hurt as low as possible but,”  _ she looked down at the necklace,  _ “it seems that our family’s obsession with the surface still runs in the blood. So…” _ she smiled, “spill the beans, (her penchant for weird turn of phrases suddenly made a whole lot more sense), _ who’s the lucky human? I won’t say a word to anyone else about this.” _

_ “It’s...it’s a girl. Her name is Kyrie...and she likes to sit on the docks and sing in Fortuna.” _

_ “Awww, how sweet! How did you two meet?” _

_ “Sh-she hasn’t actually met me yet” _ , he must have turned as red as a snapper by now, “ _ I just sit under the docks and listen to her singing.” _

_ “But you have her necklace.” _

_ “Yeah, she dropped it about four migrations back, and...well, I wanted to give it back...but…” _ ah well, he might as well come clean about it. Perhaps his mother would understand.  _ “Everytime I do, I get the weirdest feeling, like I’m giving up a part of myself.” _ He scratched his nose, _ “You probably think I’m being dumb as driftwood, eh?” _

_ “Not at all,” _ his mom said, surprisingly _ “the heart is a strange and stubborn thing, that makes us do things that we really don’t understand, but,” _ she smiled,  _ “don’t be like myself and your father and deny your feelings, because you don’t know what the next wave will bring.” _ She pulled him close to give him a kiss on the forehead.  _ “Just promise me that you be careful, alright? I want you to be happy, AND safe.” _

* * *

Kyrie was there, sitting on the dock, just like always. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that was the same. Instead of her brilliant white clothes, she wore a dress of deep black, like the depths of the ocean. And instead of singing, she remained silent, not even humming a tune. And worst of all, her beautiful smile, the thing that only the Dawnfather could compare to in brilliance, had vanished. Instead, she sat, her legs dangling over the edge, staring out to the horizon, not moving. Her beautiful eyes had lost their vibrancy, like dead seaweed, and her skin had gone pale, and sickly, like a bloated dead fish. Strange, there was wetness on her cheeks, that dribbled down before landing in her lap. Nero wasn’t sure what had happened to her. Was she ill? Hurt? All he knew, it caused his heart to constrict, and that he’d do ANYTHING to bring back her smile.

Steady footsteps on the worn wood caused him to dart back to his hiding spot under the dock. He knew the gait, even if he didn’t see him very often. Credo strode down, but slowed as he approached the young woman at the end. He was also dressed oddly, his usual white and gold outfit replaced with a dour black, quite similar to his sister’s. Was there something going on, a sort of celebration?

“Kyrie…” he spoke softly, as if he didn’t wish to disturb her, but was forced to. “I was beginning to worry when you didn’t come home after school today.”

There was no response, her eyes still locked on the horizon.

“It’s getting late, and the funeral is early tomorrow. You and I need our rest for what’s going to be a long day. The entire family will be coming over… Aunt Lisandra will be taking care of the food preparations, and- ”

“I can’t..” her voice sounded raspy, rough like a shark's skin, “I can’t go home...because mom should be there, taking the poppy seed buns out of the oven, and dad should be there in his study, putting the final touches on that painting he was working on…. But there won’t be the smell of bread in the kitchen, and that painting will always be unfinished.... Because they aren’t ever coming home again....”

Nero was perplexed. What did they mean by never seeing each other again? Even if humans couldn’t swim, they could travel anywhere in the world, they could even fly in those metal bird things he would see sometimes up in the sky.

“I know…” Credo answered soberly, “I miss them too…” he placed a hand on her shoulder, before crouching down, “but I know, wherever their spirits have gone, that they would want us to persevere, to remember them, but move forward.”

Only then, did it hit Nero with the force of a tidal wave: Kyrie wasn’t ill, or hurt...well, not in the physical sense. She was mourning for the dead. Dawnfather strike him down, what an idiot he was!

“It’s going to be difficult,” the older man conceded, “but you don’t have to bear the burden alone.”   
“I know…” came the response, a little less soulless, but still with grief. 

“If you don’t feel like it, you don’t have to sing at the service. I don’t want you to feel unnecessary pain, just because some of our relatives desire a show,” her brother muttered darkly.

“No, I need to do this,” she argued back, “not for great uncle Lorenzo, or anyone. Just for me.”

“If that’s what you desire…”

“Yes. I just…” she sighed, “I just need some time alone for a bit more. I promise I’ll be home in an hour or two.”

“Are you sure?”   
“Credo…” she smiled at her brother, sadly, but with more sincerity, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. But,” her smile lost some of the grief, “thank you for everything.”

Nero stayed still for quite a while after the man had departed, ruminating on what he had heard. He hadn’t had to deal with the pain she had dealt with, but his father had, and it was obvious that his grandparents’ deaths had affected him. If there was a way to ease her pain, a way of healing the absence in her heart.

_ The necklace! _

He looked at it in his clawed hand. He’d expected the usual reluctance to give it up yet again, but not this time. This time she needed it more than he could ever. The only issue was how to give it to her. He couldn’t just swim up and plop it in her hand, nor could he attempt to throw it up onto the dock, where there was a good chance it would just bounce off and back into the water, attracting her unwanted attention.

He looked at the glistening jewelry in his softly glowing clawws, and realized the answer was in the palm of his hand….literally. All he had to do was find the correct position, speed, and angle...it was just like spearing a fish.

Swimming far enough to get a good angle, but deep enough to not be noticed, he clenched the amulet in his hand one last time, took a mental deep breath and with a force of will, his spectral hand shot out of the water, almost silently, and with precise control, dropped the necklace on the dock with just the barest of noise, enough to get her attention, before it retracted back to himself, and he quickly returned to his hiding spot.

“Oh!” Kyrie had heard the clatter, and turned almost too quickly, a second sooner, and he would have been caught. But her eyes were immediately drawn to the necklace, glittering in the light of the evening Dawnfather, as she gingerly scooped it up.

“How in the…” she slowly caressed it in her hands, no doubt trying to figure out if it was the same one she had lost all those migrations ago. Nero swallowed as he peeked through the crack in the wood, getting as close as he dared. She closed her dull eyes as she clasped the necklace in her hands, pulling it close to her forehead. After a few moments of silence, her eyes opened, not quite back to their beautiful state, but much more clear, and on her lips, a small smile. 

“Thank you…” she spoke quietly, and Nero froze. For some reason he was certain she was speaking to him. But that was impossible! He had made sure that he was completely undetectable! She hadn’t ever given an indication that she had noticed his presence. Maybe she was just speaking to the spirits of her parents or something.

But it didn’t matter, as she began to sing, a song he hadn’t ever heard before, a song full of grief, and yet hope.

_ Quando sono solo sogno all'orizzonte e mancan le parole _

_ Sì lo so che non c'è luce in una stanza quando manca il sole _

_ Se non ci sei tu con me, con me _

_ Su le finestre _

_ Mostra a tutti il mio cuore che hai acceso _

_ Chiudi dentro me la luce che _

_ Hai incontrato per strada _

_ Time to say goodbye _

_ Paesi che non ho mai _

_ Veduto e vissuto con te _

_ Adesso sì, li vivrò, con te partirò _

_ Su navi per mari che, io lo so _

_ No, no, non esistono più _

_ It's time to say goodbye _

And even though Nero couldn’t make out most of what she was singing, it still gave him a feeling of peace

* * *

It was the next migration, his seventeenth, when Nero finally broke the last rule. He was doing his typical thing, hovering under the dock, relaxing to the soothing music that Kyrie sang. She looked healthier, happier, and more at ease. The loss of her parents undoubtedly still had affected her, but she had grown from it. He was happy as well, hoping his action, as little and delayed as it was, had brought her some comfort.

So lost in her melodious voice, he didn’t even notice her slowly lower herself down, and with a sundenness that would have caught a dolphin off guard, poked her head underneath the dock.

“Hello there!”

His instincts screamed that he needed to flee, that he was in an extreme amount of danger right now. His muscles spasmed, and instantly he began to calculate on whether it would be safer to dive down and then out, a slower but safer way, or risk making a mad dash from the docks, putting as much distance between her and him. Then never, ever, EVER come back. He’d played far too long in the low tide, now he was in danger of being beached, metaphorically speaking.

“Wait!” Her voice called out, and against his better judgement, he paused, “Don’t go, please? I’m not going to hurt you. I just…” she paused as she tried to think of what to say, “want to thank you.”

He froze. He hadn’t expected that.

“Thank me?” Her eyes lit up brilliantly at his response.

“You CAN talk! I’m so glad! I always worried that you didn’t speak our language.” Her smile grew in delight as she pulled herself back up. Nero floated there, momentarily at a loss what to do. Should he make a swim for it? She hadn’t made a move to attack him, in fact, she was giving him an opening to escape. But what if it was a trap? He shook his head. The way she spoke, it seemed like she had known he was there for a while, possibly for multiple migrations. So, slowly, and with more than a little wariness, he swam from underneath the dock and popped up in front of her. The delight on her face was infectious, and that smile, Dawnfather be praised, that smile was for him, solely for him.

“Thank me?” He repeated, confused as he looked around, still worried he would be spotted. But aside from a few fishing vessels on the horizon, there was no one but her.

“For everything…” she explained, as her hand went to her throat, playing with her necklace,. “Every year around this time, when I’d come to the docks, I swore I felt someone watching me, supporting me, like a guardian angel.”

Nero had no clue what she was talking about, but he wouldn’t interrupt her. Her singing was beautiful, but now, her speaking to him, directly, was pure bliss. If this had been a trap, he would have been a stunned fish right now, easily hooked. But nothing happened.

“But unlike an angel...it didn’t come from above, it came from below…the water. It was you.” Her toes grazed the surface of the water, and she was so close, she could have reached out and touched him, but she didn’t. Not that he would have minded…

Her eyes went down to the necklace between her fingers. “In the darkest moment of my life, you gave me something precious. The necklace, yes… but,” she looked back at him. “Whenever I couldn’t sleep, when I felt like I was falling into despair, I would hold onto this and would feel a sense of peace, like the rise and fall of waves, of seagulls, the songs of whales. It was so comforting… That was you, wasn’t it?”

He didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t intended it, but perhaps keeping it so close to himself for all those migrations had some residual effect. 

“Uh....yeah.” It wasn’t a lie, but he wanted to slap himself with his own fins on how stupid he sounded. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you sooner, I-”

She laughed, and Nero felt tingles everywhere in response. “It’s okay, I’m glad it was safe with you. So,” she leaned forward, getting even closer, and Nero lost himself in her eyes. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch him, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it (not that he would want to), “Can I have your name?”

Somehow, his mouth was able to work, and he didn’t even stutter…

_ “Nero...my name’s Nero” _

For what seemed like ages, he and Kyrie talked. She told him all about the surface world, from how they managed to stay sane despite living in the same place for migrations at a time, to her family, (he decided not to pry into her parents), to why she sang. It stunned him that not all humans enjoyed singing, how in the watery depths were they supposed to pass on knowledge to their children?

But he kept his questions to himself, and when she cautiously asked about him and his people, he felt comfortable to tell her about his family, and merfolk in general. She never pressed for more details, but she asked how long he would remain in Fortuna.

“It’s about one cycle of the Tidemother, the shoal moves out, so we gotta follow it, or else we’ll be stuck eating kelp” He couldn’t help it, he gagged at the thought. “We should be heading out when she hides Her face.”

Kyrie’s face fell a little bit. “Oh, that means you’ll be heading out pretty soon.”

“Yeah…” he agreed, and for the briefest of moments, the thought of him staying in Fortuna for the rest of the migration, eating nothing but kelp didn’t seem that bad. But explaining why he didn’t want to leave this island to his father… not so appetizing. “But guess what, I’ll be back to see you on the next migration! And I won’t hide under the dock this time!”

“You promise?”

There was a slight pause, as Nero recalled something he’d heard innumerable times

**_Never promise a human anything._ **

_ To the depths with that…  _ he thought, and smiled at the young woman, the one that had unwittingly lured him in, and captured his heart.

_ “I promise” _


End file.
